


Lean on Me

by wishboneluck



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Drinking, Drinking & Talking, Drinking to Cope, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 02:03:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18459197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishboneluck/pseuds/wishboneluck
Summary: Kyle Valenti learns a truth about his father and can't deal with it. Enter Alex Manes





	Lean on Me

Lean on Me

 

Kyle hears Alex before he sees him because after today’s events he is in need of his crutch. He’s in a corner booth facing away from the entrance to avoid any such interaction. He should be used to not getting what he wants he supposes.

“Figured I might find you here,” Alex says as he slips into the booth, grimacing ever so slightly at the weight transfer.

“Yeah. I specifically asked Maria for a non-speaking booth so.”

“Yeah well, she likes me better.” He raises his cane over the table to slip it on the side so it’s out of the walkway. Though Maria did give him a booth nowhere near the bathroom so he’s not at all bothered, even shooing away the customers sitting there when he came in.

Kyle snorts and looks down at the table. “Most people do.”

“Our high school yearbook would reflect otherwise Mr. Homecoming King.”

While he’s sure it’s meant well, he can’t deal with any reminders of what was right now. Alex seems to get it quickly enough.

“Listen, Kyle, a lot happened today and I know we’re not exactly friends if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

At this Kyle looks up. “Seems a bit hypocritical of you to put out that offer when you never took up mine.”

Alex smiles. “Well, my hypocrisy is the least of my worries these days.”

Kyle drains the rest of his whiskey, signals their waiter for another. Briefly, he recalls how strange his father became in his teen years about strong liquor, insisting on only beer and wine for their household; even going as far as to offer to supply him and his friends with beer for prom just to be sure he didn’t drink anything stronger.

He waits for their waiter to give him another drink, watches in surprise as he blatantly checks out Alex before he speaks.

“With the murderous alien wreaking havoc on our town for years, who can blame you?”

“Kyle,” Alex starts but he fades because there’s clearly nothing he can say. Kyle knows anything that is said won’t land right. He’s never been any good at this emotion stuff and right now it feels like he’s being beat over the head with it.

“My father was murdered because of this son of a bitch and the only thing I can do about it is this,” he gestures to his drink. Alex’s eyes widen in surprise and Kyle knows he needs to keep it down.

“Kyle, we’re working on what to do. You know that” Alex’s voice is soft and it just pisses Kyle off. Why isn’t Alex as angry as him about this? His father was like a surrogate dad to him for years and even left him his cabin to help him.

“I guess sitting back is a bit easier for you.”

Alex’s soft expression hardens, eyebrows pinched together. The last time looked at him like that they got into a fistfight at prom. Good. Someone else needs to be mad.

“I’m just saying this whole alien business has been a bit more beneficial for you than for me. You got a cabin and a boyfriend out of it.”

He’s not drunk enough to think he’s being fair but he feels low enough to not care. Alex visibly recoils and the guilt comes quickly. He knows Alex thinks of his father as a great man and as much of a father as could get, especially compared to his actual dad. No way does a cabin compare. And if today’s awkwardness with Guerin was any indication, things clearly aren’t sunshine and daisies with them.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers before Alex can rip into him.

“I’m the king of saying the wrong thing or worse not saying anything at all. Just don’t say anything like that to me again,” Alex replies.

“It feels like everything I know about my father is a lie. Hell, my whole family really since Rosa was apparently my sister. And this alien killed them both and I can’t do a damn thing about it.”

“We can and we will,” Alex insists again. 

“Yeah after a couple of decades of research? Our fathers didn’t seem to know a lot and this is apparently our family legacy.”

“Yeah, well we have something that they don’t,” Alex says, confident and self-assured.

“And what is that?”

Alex beams. “Liz Ortecho.”

This draws a chuckle out of Kyle and he clinks their glasses together as Alex raises his drink. 

Hours later and Kyle stumbles out of the bar. Maria has taken his keys but Alex has offered to drive him to his cabin and then drive him back here tomorrow to get his car.

“You should have gotten his number,” Kyle mumbles as Alex comes to stand beside him. He places a hand on his shoulder, careful not to put too much weight on him while he has his cane.

“I’ll keep that in mind. First, we gotta get you in my truck and hopefully without throwing up.”

“I am not making any promises on that one,” Kyle replies, the alcohol having really hit him when they stood up earlier.

Alex laughs, leaning him against the side of his truck so he can open the door for him. And it’s then that it hits him.

Alex is going to take him to his cabin. His father’s old hunting cabin where there’s an underground bunker he possibly used for Rosa and secret alien research and possibly a million other things he’ll find out about in the upcoming weeks he had no idea about.

And he can’t. He just can’t. He could barely deal with losing his father when it was cancer but now that it’s this. He can’t.

“Kyle,” Alex is there in a heartbeat and Kyle has no idea when he started to cry. Alex looks at him with a softness he doesn’t deserve and pulls him into a hug that almost hurts.

“I don’t know how and I don’t know when but we will get revenge Kyle, I swear it.”

Kyle’s eyes burn from the tears and his chest and throat ache from the sobs, and he’s never felt more helpless in his entire life. But with his old friend by his side, he has hope.

**Author's Note:**

> I just really love this developing friendship. And yeah the fourth alien is who it is but I'm ignoring that for as long as i can because I don't like it.
> 
> Vaguely based off of that synopsis for 1x13.


End file.
